Jim Lawless breaks the British No Limits freediving record

September 01 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence

by Jim Lawless

On 28th August 2010 I made my first attempt to dive to 101m under official record conditions and failed.

I did this this to raise money for Sparks, the children's medical research charity and to test some new elements of Taming Tigers

In January this year, my 13 year old daughter, Maddie, became, without any warning, seriously ill. She is now recovering brilliantly and we all pray that that will continue and that she will be able to resume school in September. This reminded me of what SPARKS (and others) do and not to take them for granted. So what better way to support them than to make the attempt on the No Limits Record I have also been using this adventure to pressure test…

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Sarah Storey Winning the World Road Race Championships!

August 24 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence Waiting all day for my 4pm Road Race at the World Championships this weekend was hard work. I was itching to get racing, especially after the results in the Time Trial two days earlier suggested we'd be on for a very juicy encounter!


My C5 Women's field were also lined up with the C4 women and although for these Championships there would be two medals and two jerseys, one for each class, come London in 2 years time, these classes will be combined and racing for one gold. Starting together meant the USA team had the numerical advantage with 4 riders on the road, the Aussies had 2 and then the rest of the field were without team mates, like me, so i didn't feel too surrounded! It was a classy line up too, with almost half the…

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Sarah Storey defends and recaptures her World Para-Cycling Road Time Trial

August 20 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence

After winning my first Para Cycling Road Time Trial World title around 11 months ago, the title defence seemed to come round quickly and before I knew it I was sat on the start ramp as the final rider off in my classification, C5. My class is for riders who have a mild disability, usually only one hand to hold onto the bar with, or a mild form of cerebral palsy or a minimal malfunction of one limb which does affect function too greatly.


The course was going to be a great challenge and as I blasted off into the starting loop through a housing estate I hoped I would start to see some of the riders in front of me, as we were all starting at minute intervals. After about 3 or 4km I was approaching the main climb…

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Settling in at the Road World Championships by Sarah Stroey OBE

August 17 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence

After a 17 hour journey from Manchester via Munich, Montreal and Mont Joli I arrived in Baie Comeau which sits on the northern banks of the St Lawerence river some 420 miles north east of Montreal.


Despite the length of the journey I was still only 5 hours behind UK time and the place so remote the UK mobile phone service providers don’t have a partner over here, so we have no phone signal. Mind you, that could be a good thing and quite a welcome break from the one item that has become an extension of most people’s arms!


The final leg of the journey from Mont Joli was across the St Lawerence river and took just nine minutes! I was in a 48 seater propeller plane which was virtually skimming…

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I was inspired by the London 2012 Open Weekend!

July 26 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence This weekend I was lucky enough to celebrate two years to the London 2012 Olympics with a trip round what must be Great Britain’s largest building site... Stratford! The event had been organised as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend.

With the fresh theme of ‘challenge yourself’, over 900 events took place across the UK as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Organisations set public challenges at each of their events, creating an opportunity for everyone to set a new personal best by trying something new or taking an existing interest to the next level.

My challenge was photography (it’s up to you to decide whether or not I succeeded!). Throughout the day we were set a challenge of capturing three topics in photo: [Continue Reading]

2 Years to go…...

July 21 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence So – Tuesday 27th July represent 2 years to go until the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

When I stood in Trafalgar Square as guest of the Bid team and heard those immortal words from Jacque Rogge, ‘and the 2012 Games is awarded to the city of….London’, I was overcome with excitement, hope and opportunity. Beyond a sense of being proud of what had been achieved, and having played just a small part in the victory, I realised the immense opportunity that this would present at both a personal and professional level.

5 years on and here we are with facilities nearing completion, sponsors activating the early stages of their 2012 programmes and cultural activities and festivals ten a penny in advance…

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Michael Stirling - FIFA World Cup and Corporate Supremacy

June 09 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in inspirational speakers
With the World Cup starting on Friday, have you ever wondered about the sheer scale of the sponsorship deals that surround what has been unoffically been called, 'The Greatest Show on Earth'? Inspirational Speakers Michael Stirling gives us insight into a few facts surrounding this aspect of the World Cup...

The FIFA flagship event, the World Cup, kicks off on 11th June in Johannesburg. The hosts South Africa will play Mexico in the first game of the world's most popular global sporting event. The World Cup is not only about the excitement of seeing who is the World Champion but also of corporate supremacy. The extravaganza that occurs once every four years and lasts one month attracts many of the world biggest brands, Adidas,…

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Sarah Storey Blog

May 20 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in inspirational speakers After my Rudy Project TT win on May 9th, I headed to the south of France to get a final week of miles in prior to the specific preparation I am doing this week for the National 10 mile Time Trial on Sunday 23rd May.

I joined up with Stef and Helen Wyman who were already in the town of Limoux and spent some of my time training with Helen and getting some advice on improving my descending skills.
When I arrived the Aude region was preparing for the arrival of 18 women’s pro teams for the biggest women’s stage race on the calender, the Tour de L’Aude and for me, having aspirations to ride the race one day, it was fantastic to ride on the roads used over the past 26 years of the race history. With the race known for it’s…

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What do you think about Wenlock and Mandeville?

May 20 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence
Were you watching the One Show last night when the mascots for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed? What was your first reaction?

This was one of the first things that we discussed when we got into the Creating Excellence office this morning and although there was a mixed bag of opinion, the general consensus was positive. They are quite funky and modern, very different to any blue slugs and cuddly bears that have come before them and hopefully they will engage with the younger generation; there is something very alien and futuristic about Wenlock and Mandeville which will appeal to the technological wizards that are the youth of this country.

The names have also been carefully and considerately…

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Escape from Alcatraz, Good Luck Matt Harris!

April 28 2010 - (0) Comments - posted in creating excellence Just a quick word to say that Pixelwork Director - designer of the Creating Excellence website - is taking on a massive personal challenge to raise money for the Callum Branch Trust. Matt harris is preparing to take part in the 30th Anniversary Triathlon, Escape From Alcatraz.

The race is held annually in San Francisco and takes place for it's 30th year this Sunday, May 2. The race includes a 1.5 mile swim through frigid waters from Alcatraz Island to shore, a grueling 18-mile bike race, and a demanding 8-mile run through the rugged trails of Golden Gate Recreation Area.…

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